Fouling the Screws 291 



On one reef a large junk was sunk with her stem just 

 visible : her crew had tied her to the shore with long 

 bamboo hawsers, leaving only a small passage between her 

 and the rocks, through which we had to steam, meeting the 

 full force of the current in a narrow winding channel. We 

 ultimately moored in a swift current opposite Kwei-chow, 

 having taken nearly six hours to advance six miles. We had 

 dropped our tows, who, fortunately, aided by a strong up-river 

 breeze, did not detain us long. But in taking them on again 

 for the smooth stretch of swift water from Kwei-chow to the 

 foot of the Yeh-tan (rapid) a serious accident happened. 

 The bamboo hawser of the gunboat became entangled in 

 one of our propellers, and was twisted round it so firmly 

 that we had to tie up to the shore again, and were delayed 

 some hours before one of our willing crew dived down and 

 hacked it clear with a sharp hatchet. At four in the after- 

 noon we moored a mile below the Yeh-tan, where a heavy 

 snowstorm compelled us to tie up for the night. I had 

 much trouble all the way with these accompanying gun- 

 boats ; but I did not like to offend them, this being the first 

 steamer to invade their beats, otherwise many a time I 

 should have cast them adrift. The life-boat, on the other 

 hand, proved itself of the greatest use, having a very smart 

 and weU-disciplined crew, always ready to help us in any 

 difficulty. At the Yeh-tan, which is a clean rapid, due to 

 the narrowing of the river by a huge cone of dejection from 

 a now dry affluent on the left bank, we had again to be 

 towed. We lost nearly a whole day waiting our turn until 

 the junks ahead of us had gone up and left us a clear way, 

 for we failed in our attempt to steam roimd and get ahead 

 of them, such was the force of the current. From above 

 the Yeh-tan, past the city of Pa-tung, where great crowds of 



